My throat is sore from the smoke that filled our house after I lit the fireplace this afternoon;

I had to apologize to Jude for yelling at him unnecessarily this morning;

I got to give Noah a horse-back ride today while he giggled;

My wonderful husband helped me cut wood panelling for my kitchen with the skill saw (a saw that makes me nervous, so I asked him to do that job for me);

Jabin smiled at the doctor through his entire 6-month checkup (six months already! Where did the time go?);

Jude did manage to annoy his brother a LOT, but it seemed slightly less than usual;

Noah did a bang-up job of singing and doing the actions to "If You're Happy And You Know It..." while I was practicing guitar tonight (I'm sure he also knows all the words to every VeggieTales sing-along CD we own, even if I can't understand all of them when he sings them);

I realized that I had made so many mistakes when cutting my baseboard, I now no longer have enough--then thought that I might be able to make it work if I bevel two edges and stick them on as one long straight section (in other words, make it work as is. What? It's behind the hutch--no one will ever see it, anyway! And yes, baseboard is cheap, but not that cheap.);

I managed to take ten minutes and blog about it all.

Quote of the Day:

"It's all knowing what to start with. If you start in the right place and follow all the steps, you will get to the right end." -Elizabeth Moon, The Speed of Dark, 2003

Cover reveal: The Waterboy (A Rise of the Grigori Story)
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I'm thrilled to share with you the cover of my novella, the prequel to my upcoming young adult science fantasy series Rise of the Grigori. In this short eBook, meet Zale, a young boy with a big secret. About the story:
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Zale Teague grew up thinking he was an ordinary boy… until the day he called lightning from the skies and caused an explosion with horrific results. Now, at only eleven, he is on the run to protect his loved ones from disaster. But can he ever outrun the demon within?
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The book will be available for free exclusively to newsletter subscribers on March 27. Want to make sure you get it? Sign up at www.talenawinters.com/contact (or through the link in my profile).
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I can't wait to share it with you!
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Cover credit: The amazing @fionajaydemedia.
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#thewaterboy #writers #writerslife #author #writersofig #theundinestear #bookstagram #amwriting #amreading #fantasybooks #historicalfantasy #shifter #youngadultbooks #mermaids #sphinxes #dragons #angels #grigori #fantasyadventure

My new Graceful Slippers pattern has gotten a lot of great feedback already. Super easy to do, this is a wonderful project to make while visiting or watching a show, and ends tied in a pretty little bow. :-)
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I love carrying a pair of these around in my purse to combat cold floor syndrome while out visiting.
Get the knitting pattern at
www.talenawinters.com/graceful-slippers.
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What's your favourite slipper pattern?
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#gracefulslippers #knitstagram #amknitting #knittersofig #knittersofinstagram #knitweardesign #mysecretwishbytalena #mswbtprojects

I read Divergent at Christmas time, and enjoyed it SO much. Great writing, nearly-flawless editing, an uplifting, tension-filled story... there's so much to love (if you can suspend disbelief a little more than usual, which I was willing to do because everything else was so great). I've had "Insurgent" sitting on my TBR pile ever since, but life has been a whirlwind with getting my own projects into their next stages of life. However, as of this weekend, I'll have a couple of major deadlines behind me. I think it's time for a break. An Insurgent break.
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Have you read any of this series? What did you think?
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#imstillayoungadult #divergent #veronicaroth #writerscommunity #writerslife #writersofig #bookstagram #amwriting #amreading #bookish #reading #igreads

Great news! The Undine's Tear is now available for ARC readers. That means you get to read it for free in exchange for an honest review. If you are looking for a thrilling, magical read this weekend, go sign up:
http://eepurl.com/dDlUbr
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About the book:
Calandra is the most powerful undine healer in three thousand years—her people's last hope for salvation. In order to save them from the humans they fear, she must choose between enslaving the man she loves or trusting a cryptic, seditious message left behind by the mother who abandoned her as a baby. But if she can't find the brother she's never met, she doesn't have a hope in Tartarus—and all the powerful healers go mad eventually. Can she save everyone before she goes crazy and kills them all?
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More at www.talenawinters.com/undines-tear
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Happy reading!
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#freebook #arccopy #writers #writerslife #author #writersofig #theundinestear #bookstagram #amwriting #amreading #fantasybooks #historicalfantasy #shifter #youngadultbooks #mermaids #sphinxes #dragons #angels #grigori #watchers #demons

Who knew that such a shapeless blob could be so flattering on the feet? The newly re-edited Graceful Slippers, now available in worsted and bulky weights, is now in the store. Looking for a fast project for the weekend? Check it out. :-)
www.talenawinters.com/graceful-slippers
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#gracefulslippers #knittingpattern #knitstagram #amknitting #knittersofig #knittersofinstagram #knitweardesign #mysecretwishbytalena #mswbtprojects

This week is already off to a busy but pretty wonderful start. I got to spend time with some good friends yesterday, and later, my sweet but forgetful grandmother (who is recovering from a bad fall last week). Then I got to work on another friend's manuscript and coach her on her writing, which is always rewarding and fun. I love teaching and editing.
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Today, I should finish the first draft of The Waterboy, the prequel short story (ha! More like novella!) I'm writing for The Undine's Tear. Speaking of which, by the end of the week, The Undine's Tear will be going out to ARC readers. Want to read it for free? Sign up for my ARC newsletter at www.talenawinters.com/undines-tear. (Link at the top of the page.)
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Happy Monday, friends! What's new with you?
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#writers #writerslife #author #writersofig #theundinestear #bookstagram #amwriting #amreading #fantasybooks #historicalfantasy #shifter #youngadultbooks #mermaids #sphinxes #dragons #angels #grigori #amediting #editing #freelanceeditor

The view from my desk chair this morning. Yes, my office windows suck, but they get pretty frost patterns on them.
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By the end of today, I should be 3/4 of the way through the short story prequel to The Undine's Tear that I'm writing. Pretty excited about that. Any day writing fiction in a warm room is better than, well, just about anything else I can think of. And by the end of next week, I might even have a cover reveal for you. (Yes, I got a cover made for an exclusive-to-my-newsletter-subscribers short story. I love them that much.)
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What are you up to today?
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#writers #writerslife #author #writersofig #theundinestear #thewaterboy #bookstagram #amwriting #amreading #fantasybooks #historicalfantasy #shifter #youngadultbooks #mermaids #sphinxes #dragons #angels #grigori